Cliff Floyd, Collector Of Vintage Sports Jerseys

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08/11/2003 2:32 PM ET
Floyd wears hobby on his sleeve
Mets outfielder collects vintage sports jerseys
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Ask Cliff Floyd what one of his most embarrassing moments would be, and the answer will surprise you.
Dropping a fly ball in left field? Nah. Tripping while rounding first base? Nope.

How about running into a former ballplayer while you're wearing his jersey? That's the one.

The chances of that happening to Floyd increase weekly. That's because the Mets left fielder has a vintage jersey collection that numbers in the hundreds, and he constantly adds to it. It's not unusual to see Floyd come into the New York clubhouse sporting an old ABA replica jersey or an NFL jersey.

He has recently started adding vintage replica baseball jerseys to his collection, and one of his biggest fears in running into a player whose jersey he is wearing.

"That would be embarrassing," Floyd said. "I hope I never do. I've never seen one of these guys when I was wearing their jersey. I have a Doc Gooden, the pullover with the v-neck from the '80s. Imagine if I see Doc this offseason while I'm wearing it."

Floyd, who began collecting jerseys in about 1995, said he won't wear his baseball jerseys during the regular season. That's winter garb. But he's not shy about wearing his replica Oscar Robertson jersey from when the NBA great was winding down his career with Milwaukee.

Floyd also has a baby-blue Earl Campbell Houston Oilers jersey and an old Montreal Canadiens home sweater with a drawstring neck. One of Floyd's favorites is his old Philadelphia 76ers jersey with the name Bryant stitched on the back. It's a replica jersey of Joe Bryant, father of Kobe, who played in Philly nearly three decades ago.

"A couple of years ago I saw a guy wearing an old Denver Broncos jersey," Floyd said. "It was blue and orange. It was hot. I thought I wanted to see what that was all about. I was buying a Rolex and trying to be all classy, but that wasn't me.

"A jersey is perfect for me. So I bought a Denver Bronco one, the white one with the blue and orange numbers. It was John Elway. Now I have over 100 [jerseys], easy, basketball and football. You think about all the styles that come and go, but jerseys don't ever leave. There are just so many different colors."

You like Bo Jackson as a Raider? Floyd has it. Tony Gwynn as a Padre? He has that one, too. Kirby Puckett with the Twins, Reggie Jackson with the A's, even Tom Seaver as a Met -- Floyd has them all.

He even has an old Vancouver Canucks jersey, the test-pattern outfit the team wore in the early '80s.

And it's not just a matter of putting on the jersey, either. The hat has to match, and so do the shoes, creating an entire ensemble.

Floyd's girlfriend, Marianne Manning, takes care of the shoes, making sure all the colors match the jerseys and the hats.

"I have the Oscar Robertson Bucks jersey, and I have the green hat and the retro Nike uptowns," Floyd said. "I had a guy put the colors on the shoes. That way if I go out on the town for a special night with my girl I can wear it.

"It's such a big thing right now. So many of my boys back home are like little kids: 'I bet you don't have this one or I bet you don't have this one.' "

Floyd said he has to be patient, though, and not try to buy them as quickly as he sees them. It's a pricey hobby, even for a millionaire ballplayer.

"You go to the stores, but you have to be patient," he said. "You can drop two or three thousand quick. The minute you do that, some new one comes out and you're like 'Man, I should have waited.'

"I'm just going to keep going with it and someday I'll give them to my kids. I don't want authentic, game-worn jerseys or anything unless I'm going to take it home and hang it up on a wall or something."

Floyd said he tries to keep his collection in as good a shape as possible. He had a jersey dry-cleaned once, and the numbers became all bunched up, so he's careful about whom he lets handle them now. He doesn't want to take any chances because he's had a few ruined.

He plans on purchasing a Walter Payton jersey next, as well as an "old school" Billy Cunningham jersey from when he played with the 76ers. But the one he really wants has been hard to find.

"I want the White Sox one with the black and white lettering and the collar," Floyd said. "The one they wore when they played in shorts. I don't want the shorts, just the jersey."

Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


Cliff Floyd began collecting vintage jerseys in about 1995. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)